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Though most recently expected to debut in October, Google's Chrome Web Store may now finally be on the verge of launching.
Innovations in mobile computing will continue apace in coming years, but battery power and wireless spectrum could become critical obstacles, according to mobile executives speaking Tuesday evening at a gathering in Silicon Valley.
The developers of a tool that lets Windows Phone 7 users load applications that aren't in the Marketplace have pulled the tool, less than a week after publishing it.
The Web front end for a Free Software Foundation software repository remains down after the server it was hosted on was attacked last week.
Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry are in a dead heat for U.S. smartphone ownership honors, Nielsen said today.
Continuing its low-key crusade for greater mainframe openness (or less IBM dominance of that market), Microsoft has invested an undisclosed amount of money in mainframe emulator provider TurboHercules, said the Paris company.
Hewlett-Packard has dropped plans to offer Microsoft's next version of Windows Home Server OS, code-named Vail, in its products, after retiring a line of servers carrying the current version of the OS, Microsoft said on Tuesday.
Muscling up on cloud technologies, Cisco Systems is in the process of acquiring network management software vendor LineSider Technologies, the company announced Wednesday.
If you've ever paid attention to the market share statistics for desktop operating systems you probably know that Linux is most frequently pegged at about one per cent.
Apple last week finally released the update to its iOS software for mobile devices like the iPhone and the iPad. And while the big changes -- AirPlay, AirPrint and iPad-focused tweaks -- got a lot of attention, there are a slew of smaller changes and...
If you haven't looked at the Windows utilities landscape lately, you're in for a big surprise. Many of the old favorites have changed, bringing new features to Windows 7, as well as XP. Others have fallen by the wayside, replaced by upstarts that del...
Trend Micro announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mobile Armor -- a company that specializes in endpoint data protection. The move strengthens Trend Micro's data protection capabilities and positions it to address the growing...
Apple's mobile OS has been facing stiff competition from Google's Android in the smartphone world for quite some time, but a few recent moves from Cupertino suggest that it's feeling the heat more than ever.
Prolonging the battle between SAP and Oracle, following last week's £820 million damages award, could hurt enterprise software users and change the support landscape.
With the release of HP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) 11 package, Hewlett-Packard is hoping to streamline the process of application development, as well as offer managers insight into how their developers are faring on any given project.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Avure Technologies, Franklin, Tenn., separated into two distinct operating units: Avure Industrial Division and Avure HPP Equipment and Services Division. Both divisions will operate as separate strategic business units. This separation allows each to focus on customer service, new product development and application support specific to its specialty, the company says. Jeff Williams was named chief executive officer of the HPP Equipment and Services Division, and Jan Söderström will assume the position of chief executive officer of the Avure Industrial Division.
Wright Global Graphics expands beverage label capabilities
January 27, 2014
Thomasville, N.C.-based Wright Global Graphics made a $1.5 million investment in an eight-color Mark Andy P5 press to meet the demands of the expanding food and beverage industry. The new press streamlines the label printing and finishing process and allows the company to provide customers with the printed product labels needed to stand out on retail shelves, the company says.
Tight-turning trucks, proof-of-delivery apps help manage distribution
December 16, 2013
Paxton Products’ new Ionized Air System can be used to remove particulates, dust and contaminants from surfaces by using its powerful ionization capabilities coupled with Paxton’s centrifugal blowers and air delivery systems.
Dematic, Grand Rapids, Mich., announced that it is expanding its West Coast operations to address customers' needs to continue to localize distribution and deliver goods more cost and time efficiently to consumers. Pat Fitzpatrick was appointed as general manager to lead the Western expansion efforts. In his new role, he is responsible for managing the sales and engineering efforts in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. The company also is adding 10-20 engineers and support jobs at its new office located in Orange, Calif.
Highlighting its Freightliner Trucks Business Class M2, Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Freightliner trucks offer the M2 106 and M2 112, which both feature best-in-class visibility with a 2,500-square-inch windshield and have numerous manual, automated and automatic transmission choices, the company says.
Revenue increase attributed to return of normal weather patterns
November 6, 2013
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Charlotte, N.C., announced that it earned $16.2 million on net sales of $434.5 million for the third quarter of 2013, compared with a net income of $10.1 million on net sales of $419.9 million for the prior-year period.

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14 April 2009, 10:06
Three additions to its UC platform, BT Onevoice, as competition heats up from the IT sector.
14 April 2009, 09:30
BT launches UCC enhanced BT Onevoice
24 March 2009, 15:55
As BT announces the roll-out of its ‘super fast’ broadband, is it doing enough to catch up with Virgin Media?
23 March 2009, 15:29
BT has named 29 exchanges in which it will deploy fibre to the cabinet technology in 2010, delivering broadband speeds of up to 60Mb/s.
23 March 2009, 12:50
BT today took the next step on its broadband journey by revealing the first set of locations where, from early 2010, substantial numbers of customers will have access to fibre-based ...
23 March 2009, 12:30
BT reveals next super-fast broadband locations
4 February 2009, 14:54
BT Mobile has announced that it will cease charging customers to call freephone 0800 numbers from their mobile phones.
4 February 2009, 14:31
BT today became the first UK mobile company to make calls to 0800 numbers free for its BT Mobile customers.
8 January 2009, 13:45
BT says no to 0870 by offering free calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers.
8 January 2009, 12:17
BT today offered some New Year cheer to 14 million customers by becoming the first UK telephone company to make calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers free.


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Renowned developer Giles Goddard has revealed his team is working hard on a WiiWare project for Nintendo. Speaking with Cubed³'s Adam Riley recently about Theta, his team's exclusive Nintendo DS title from late last year, Goddard mentioned that after Vitei completed work on the innovative water-themed puzzle game (that has unfortunately not been released in the West) development of a WiiWare game that makes use of the Balance Board began.
Whilst no actual in-game details can be revealed until Nintendo says so, it has been confirmed that it is indeed being published on the download service by the Kyoto Company, will be hitting Japan around September time and makes great use of the peripheral that has become so popular thanks to astronomical sales of the Wii Fit package. Below is an excerpt from the interview:
Cubed³'s Adam Riley: With Wii Fit taking Japan by storm at the moment and more Balance Boards now in Japanese homes than PlayStation 3 consoles, have you given any thought to creative ways your team could make use of the Wii peripheral in the future?
Vitei's Giles Goddard: Our current game uses the Balance Board actually, and it's due out in September on WiiWare. So yes, much like Theta we came up with several prototypes of games and picked one that we thought was the most uniquely suited to the interface. The interesting thing is that the games you would think would work well with the Balance Board actually don't. So it should be interesting to see what kind of stuff gets made for it.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the full interview very soon, in which Goddard talks about the chances of seeing Theta on Wii, thoughts about a potential 1080į Snowboarding on WiiWare, working with Dylan Cuthbert of Q-Games (Starfox Command on DS) and much more...


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Durable solutions for pest control in agriculture
Effective chemical options for pest control in several agricultural industries may be substantially reduced in the future. A change in thinking will be needed throughout the supply chain.
Wheat’s complex immune system requires a smart health response against disease
Covid-19 has shown us the fragility of our health, and the power of science to rapidly respond. Similar breakthroughs are waiting in the wings if a comparable disaster befell agriculture.
A short history of agricultural chemical usage and development
Throughout human history, pests have greatly impacted agriculture and society through crop failure. In modern times, chemical solutions to the problem have been hit and miss.
Cracking lupin wide open: from test sausages to protein ingredient
Harnessing the power of protein from lupin has been a decades-long process, but it’s finally seeing the light.
Fighting food waste one carrot at a time
It's a case of down the hatch instead of down the drain for carrot pulp thanks to a new way of using it for burger patties.
Upscaling and expanding horticulture in northern Australia
In a region long touted as a food bowl, our scientists are working on smart, sustainable options for northern Australia food production.
Food trends of the future
In 20 years, will we swap beef for crickets, 3-D print food, or grow our leafy greens on vertical farms in our cities? And what will changes in our diet mean for Australia’s agrifood sector?
The quest for a new everyday supermarket fish
To meet growing consumer demand, CSIRO researchers are on the hunt for healthy and affordable protein sources from white flesh fish.
The future of protein
A growing population, resource constraints and the ‘flexitarian’ movement mean we need value-added premium protein sources to complement animal-derived protein production.


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While the street market along Terminus Road has proved popular with shoppers, local traders have claimed the stalls are having a negative effect on nearby shops.
The Town Centre Management Team recently announced the street market would open every Sunday as well as every Wednesday, causing more concern among shop owners who believe their trade is suffering as a result of the market.
One of the handful of independent traders on Terminus Road who came forward to complain about the market, said, “The market was supposed to be put in place to stop local people going to Rye market but that’s on a Thursday, not a Wednesday, so people still go to both.
“Since the market’s been going, I’ve noticed footfall have been well down in our shops. The stalls are taking the money left, right and centre while only paying minimum rent. We’re here all year long, in snow, rain, wind and hail, and we have four months over the summer to make our money. They turn up in these four months and clear up.
“They get free advertising and they don’t have to pay for someone to come and collect their rubbish. They don’t employ local people and they don’t pay tax or VAT.
“There were 68 markets last year and last week alone, you had the street market on Wednesday and Sunday and the continental market on the seafront Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They’re selling the same products as some of the shops – clothes, jumpers, fresh fruit – and it’s killing us.”
While it may not be reflected inside the nearby shops, data gathered by the Town Centre Management Team proves there is a rise in visitors to Terminus Road on market days, with an increase of more than 1,000 people in the area.
The market was given the green light in May 2012 and set up for the first time later that year, in August.
The Chamber of Commerce was contacted for a comment but at the time of going to press, had not yet replied.


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Daily Provisions brings its coffee and crullers to Brooklyn this week, plus beer, wine, and cocktails, a spokesperson confirms. The Danny Meyer cafe opened a new 1,500-square-foot location in Cobble Hill (151 Court Street, near Pacific Street) on Wednesday morning, its fifth shop in the city and first in the borough. A cannoli cruller filled with ricotta mascarpone cream is new to this location; it’s available during the first two weeks of opening.
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake open a bar
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake now own a Midtown bar together. T-Squared, in Midtown, is a 22,000-square-foot adult playground with $21 cocktails, golf simulator arcade games, and around 30 televisions, including one that’s 200 inches. “Atmospherically, the establishment hews closer to Woods’ personality than Timberlake’s,” the New York Post wrote on opening night. “Translation: It doesn’t have one.”
Where the Bidens ate in New York City
President Joe Biden and his family have been in town since Sunday for the United Nations General Assembly, and they’re sticking to classics: They visited the 40-year-old restaurant Il Cantinori in Greenwich Village earlier this week; then yesterday, Dr. Jill Biden stopped by Breads Bakery in Rockefeller Center to pick up some chocolate babka, a spokesperson confirmed. — Melissa McCart, editor
A viral bakery opens a wine bar
It’s always a question of what to do with a bakery during the off-hours. At L’Appartement 4F, a Brooklyn bakery that became famous online for its croissant cereal, the owners Gautier and Ashley Coiffard have opened a small bar upstairs with French wines, sourdough bread, and cheeses. The bar has around 25 seats with reservations available online.


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Beavercreek firm racks up $500K in federal research work
Cornerstone Research Group Inc. has picked up more than $500,000 in new federal work.
The Beavercreek-based research and development firm recently won two new Army contracts worth about $100,000 each and three new NASA awards that could be worth as much as $125,000 each. All five contracts fall under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, or SBIR, which encourages small businesses to engage in technology research and development that has the potential for commercialization.
The contracts are good news for the company, which has been leaning on its research work to spinoff commercial businesses.
Last week, Cornerstone took first place in the Dayton Business Journal Innovation Index Awards in the commercialization category.
Including its subsidiaries, Cornerstone has about 85 employees and its Spintech subsidiary recently exited the Dayton Development Coalition’s Accelerant fund. Cornerstone recently formed three new subsidiaries, two of which — NONA Composites LLC and Advantic LLC — are going strong.
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Ingram Micro just made automating the deployment of a cloud service a reality for its customers with the addition of IBM's SoftLayer to its Cloud Marketplace, as reported by our sister site, Talkin' Cloud. The new offering allows access to both virtual and bare-metal servers.
The enhancement by Ingram Micro illustrates a commitment to building its marketplace, which makes it possible to automate the acquisition and provisioning of cloud services, and fortifies its long-standing partnership with Big Blue.
"IBM Cloud's SoftLayer is a major player in IaaS, an area where competition is intensifying, quickly narrowing and growing fast," Darren Bibby, vice president of channels and alliances research at IDC, told Marketwatch.com in a recent article. "IDC expects 36 percent growth in 2015 in IaaS, which makes it an excellent fit for the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace."
Another benefit of this latest venture is that Ingram Micro can tap into IBM's in-country compliance efforts, an extremely important aspect considering the huge array of public and private clients in heavily regulated industries such as healthcare, government, financial and legal organizations. As a result, the company's channel partners can now provide a secure, resilient, and scalable platform to its regional customers for placing sensitive data in the cloud.
The Ingram Cloud Marketplace is designed to provide a single portal through which solution providers can fully automate everything from provisioning those services to billing. Its portfolio of solutions covers all major business categories including: infrastructure, security, communication and collaboration, business applications and platform, and cloud management services.
After purchasing the SoftLayer brand in 2013, IBM launched its own cloud marketplace the following year and, like Ingram Micro, has invested serious bankroll in cloud computing. How serious? It's plunked down more than $1.2 billion in a global data center expansion for SoftLayer, while another $1 billion is going toward Blue PaaS. Meanwhile, the company has spent over $7 billion in 17 acquisitions.
Read the full report on Talkin' Cloud


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Innocent Drinks, the brand that has built its image on irony and transparency, has resumed outdoor communication after the long pandemic pause with a campaign that aims at "teaching" how to recognise and manage trivial yet forgotten activities, like how to dress properly, go to a shopping center and so on. A huge billboard with an arrow pointing at the entrance of a mall says: “Do you remember? This is a shopping mall. It's like buying stuff online, but you don't have to prove you're not a robot”.
In addition to the obvious irony, there is much more: the appeal to consumers to find a new balance between the digitalised and secluded life of lockdown and the life "outside". It’s clear that we are not to return to pre-Covid habits, but it is also clear that the digital and protected dimension, in which we have lived in the past months, is coming to an end and that we need multi-sensory experiences, which involve real comparisons and stimulus.
The pandemic has limited our capability of being social, thus reducing our need to be fashionable, and this has led us to think more consciously about our purchases. Buying frequently was generated by a relational impulsivity. The paradox of the new reality has allowed us to refocus consumption on a family dimension. In recent research by Accenture, it’s highlighted how the attitude of the consumer has changed, and they have become even more attentive to every single item they consider. A large part of the interviewees admitted to having reduced expenses not only as a form of saving, but above all for an increased sense of opportunity and desire to buy only what is useful and necessary. 75% have drastically reduced their share of food waste and 67% claim to buy products that are more respectful of well-being and health.
The demand for local products is constantly growing: proximity becomes synonymous with safety and quality. Proximity, however, is also linked to greater efficiency in shopping: shorter trips to get supplies means more time to devote to family or interests.
The surge in online purchases of these last months is not a vanishing phenomenom: those who have discovered the convenience of e-commerce will not easily go back. These new habits accelerate the change towards a new mode of consumption. UBS predicts that the rise in e-commerce will result in the closure of 100,000 stores by 2025. It is reasonable to think that we will shortly see the setting of a new balance between physical and digital. A new form of interaction, in which the two channels will fully interpenetrate.
Just look at how the more structured retailers have quickly adapted to current scenarios, finding alternative ways to satisfy the needs of their customers. Online purchases that can be exchanged in physical stores and digital catalogs that are increasingly detailed and complete.
The rebalancing and fusion between physical and digital basically passes through data management and the ability to cross multiple sets of data with each other. They are fundamental to understand and manage operational details such as the option for the collection of goods by the customer (location data), their preferences (customer data), and the rules governing the distribution of the different categories of goods (product data). The potential contained in that information is enormous and allows for a 360° understanding of the customer. Never as before, dialogue and consumer understanding are vital to trigger a new course, capable of compensating for the losses and opening new channels.
The customer experience is enriched with unprecedented points of contact, but to manage them well, it is necessary to fully understand what is changing. If the change is here to stay, it becomes mandatory to reflect on the new paradigm of consumption, no longer guided by quantity, but by quality, based on concrete and factual elements and not on aspiration. From the rhetoric of sustainability we are gradually moving on to experimenting with a new value system, which redefines priorities. It will be interesting to observe how much of these unprecedented attitudes will remain rooted once this pandemic is behind us.


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China News: e-CNY-Tarif und neue Metaverse-Roadmap
China, despite the rejection of cryptomining and cryptocurrency trading, does not stop surprising the public with interesting news from the world of digital assets. Today we will talk about the fundamental changes regarding the development of the Metaverse and the new round of the CBDC pilot test.
e-CNY Pilot Test in Transportation
Chinese authorities have begun testing CBDC in a new area. A pilot test of the use of the digital yuan in public transport has been launched in several Chinese cities. You can pay with the national cryptocurrency for travel by metro and buses.
Paying for a bus ticket in Guangzhou is available on 10 routes. To use e-CNY, you need to go to the e-CNY application, replenish your account in digital currency and scan a special QR code.
Subway ride with e-CNY is being tested in Ningbo city. It is the ninth city in China to implement CBDC payment. In the Ningbo metro transport system, this cryptocurrency is available for travel at 125 stations.
Beijing steps up development of the Metaverse
The authorities of the Chinese capital announced that they have developed a plan to create the Metaverse for the next 2 years (2022-2024). In the process of its implementation, Beijing will become a benchmark for the implementation of the digital economy.
To achieve this, technology companies and educational institutions of the capital should create an infrastructure with VR and geolocation and promote it in the educational, tourism and other industries.
Companies and municipalities should create industry-wide platforms, offer financial support, and find talent to create virtual reality.
About the CBDC project in China
The project of the national cryptocurrency in China in 2022 received active development. Authorities are adding new ways to use e-CNY.
At the beginning of the year, to stimulate spending, the government launched a partnership with food delivery platform Meituan and merchandise sales site JD.com. Residents of China were credited with e-CNY, which can be spent on buying food and other goods.
This resulted in more than 6 million unique shoppers ordering groceries from Meituan as of June 20th. As for JD.com, the company processed over 4 million transactions in July. The total amount of funds spent in July was $131.6 million, and from the beginning of the year to June, users paid $121.4 billion in CBDC.
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CoinShark is not responsible for the content, accuracy, quality, advertising, products or any other content posted on the site. This article is for informational purposes, prepared on the basis of materials and information from open sources . Cryptocurrency is a high-risk asset, investing in it can lead to losses. Readers should do their own research before taking any action.


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EBay's board of directors has approved a plan to separate the company's eBay and PayPal businesses into independent publicly traded companies next year.
Alibaba, an e-commerce giant in China, wants to make new friends in the U.S. Especially friends with money.
Alibaba is looking to raise as much as $US21 billion in its U.S. IPO, according to documents filed Friday, making the Chinese e-commerce company's debut one of the largest initial public offerings in U.S. history.
A court in California has approved a settlement reached earlier this year between eBay and the U.S. Department of Justice over a deal the e-commerce company is said to have reached with Intuit not to hire each other's employees.
A security feature offered by PayPal to help prevent accounts from being taken over by hackers can be easily circumvented, an Australian security researcher has found.
EBay faces a class action suit in a U.S. federal court over a security breach earlier this year.
Six people have been indicted on charges of running an international ring that resold tickets bought through compromised StubHub accounts for some of New York's biggest concerts and sporting events.
In the battle to keep your personal information private, it's not just hackers you have to worry about but lax security and stupidity.
A stronger set of features, possibly including payments, might be coming to Facebook's messaging properties now that former PayPal president David Marcus has come to work for the social network.
Someday, if you use your non-dominant hand to control your mouse or touchpad when you're say, shopping online, websites might interpret your irregular scrolling and clicking as a sign of fraud and require you to prove your identity, thanks to an IBM ...
eBay's security team isn't going to get a break for a while.
A security researcher who found a major vulnerability in eBay's website last week said a second flaw he found hasn't been fixed and could be used to hijack user accounts.
EBay is asking users to change their passwords after attackers gained unauthorized access to eBay's corporate network, compromising a database containing encrypted passwords and other personal data.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission should delay its scheduled May 15 vote on a new net neutrality proposal because of public outcry that the rules aren't strong enough, a commissioner said.
Twitter, LinkedIn and eBay quarterly earnings show what Internet companies are up against.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
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PERSONAL security alarms have been issued to Cynon pensioners following a series of handbag and purse thefts.
The action has been taken by Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Community Safety Partnership after seven women were targetted in the Aberdare and Cwmbach areas.
All thefts were from older residents, mostly women, in the large retail premises.
The purses and bags were taken from unattended shopping trolleys, or where a purse had been left in plain view on top of a shopping bag.
Often the shoppers did not notice the thefts until they wanted to pay for their items.
Stores in the area have been put on red alert and police patrols stepped up.
The alarms have a cord, one end of which is attached to a shopping bag and the other to a shopping trolley.
If the bag is pulled or tampered with the alarm sounds.
They were distributed free of charge to older residents during the a crime prevention event at St Mair’s Day Centre, Aberdare.
Plans are in the pipeline to provide further free alarms via day centres across the area.
Inspector Steve Meek, of South Wales Police, added: “I am very supportive of this initiative.
“Anything that reduces crime and the fear of crime can only be good for the community.”


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The P-I traces startups, venture capital and life in the Pacific Northwest technology community.
Posts filtered on Category
TheFunded is a controversial online rating site that allows entrepreneurs to dish the dirt on venture capitalists, ranking them on a score of one to five points in key areas such as “operating competence,” “pitching efficiency” and “favorable deal terms.” [Read More]
Friday roundup: Blue Nile’s new CFO, where are the high-tech IPOs?, Berman’s other consumer Internet lawsuit, etc.
Avvo isn’t the only Internet company that Seattle lawyer Steve Berman is suing. Today, Berman’s law firm said they received a temporary restraining order to freeze the assets of RegisterFly.com, a 7-year-old Internet domain registration company that is based in Boonton, New Jersey. In a press release, Berman said that RegisterFly and its executives have lost 75,000 domain names in what he bills as “a strong disregard for the consumers’ rights.” [Read More]


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The story of how Airbnb came to become one of the leading rental and accommodation businesses started out back in 2008 with two roommates first starting the business in their own living room, which is yet another success story from the Silicone Valley.
Airbnb has by far hosted around 400 million people through their platform in the course of a decade since the business was first founded, while managing 2 million users per night year to year.
Furthermore, the company is estimated at 31 billion dollars with the upcoming IPO, which had been previously taken into consideration far back in 2014 according to Airbnb’s CEO.
Here is what you can expect from Airbnb IPO, including the latest information on the IPO release date, profit estimates, price per share and profitability potential.
What to Expect from the Upcoming Airbnb IPO in 2019?
Airbnb is one of the giants of sharing economy and also one of the well-known unicorn companies that have managed to turn applications and intermediary services into a large user base, year to year positive revenue, stable growth potential, and very soon Airbnb will be issuing their own IPO.
According to the latest reports, the value of the company’s IPO is set at 31 billion dollars, while it is considered that the public offer should become available already by June 30th, 2019, while even in case of postponing the IPO should be out by the beginning of 2020.
The company’s representatives have still not shared specific information on the price per share of Airbnb IPO, while the company by far collected 4.4 billion dollars through private funding.
Airbnb is said to be expecting to reach 8.5 billion dollars in revenues by the end of 2020, over the course of the next two years, based on their growth and profitability potential, while the rental giant made a profit of 100 million dollars out of 2.6 billion in revenues during 2017.
Airbnb said they will be “ready” to IPO on June 30th, 2019, but it is not likely they will actually go forwards with it this year. My guess is mid-to-late 2020.
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Telecommunications giant AT&T announced Sunday it plans to buy satellite-television provider DirectTV for $48.5 billion. The deal will combine the 5.7 million AT&T U-Verse TV customers with DirectTV’s 20 million customers.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson hailed the deal as good news for the company and consumers.
"This is a unique opportunity that will redefine the video entertainment industry and create a company able to offer new bundles and deliver content to consumers across multiple screens," he said.
Upon completion of the merger DirectTV will operate as a subsidiary of AT&T. The company’s headquarters will remain in El Segundo, Calif.
Combining the two companies will create the second largest pay-TV provider in the country. The number one spot is held by Comcast, who purchased its rival Time Warner Cable earlier this year for $45 billion.
That trend of consolidation has many industry analysts and consumer advocates worried.
"The industry needs more competition, not more mergers," John Bergmayer, an attorney at consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, told USA Today. "The burden is on AT&T and DirectTV to show otherwise.”
Some say that the merger of Comcast and Time Warner is justification enough for the AT&T deal to proceed. But Delara Derakhshani, a policy counsel with Consumer Reports, told Reuters that argument is problematic.
"You can't justify AT&T buying DirectTV by pointing at Comcast's grab for Time Warner, because neither one is a good deal for consumers,” she said.
"This is not Comcast-Time Warner Cable round two," said Amanda Wait, a former antitrust attorney at the Federal Trade Commission.
The difference in the two deals is that, by purchasing DirectTV, AT&T is actually eliminating a direct competitor. Comcast and Time Warner, by contrast, were not operating in the same markets and were not directly competing.
That distinction may give regulators pause. To sweeten the deal for them, though, AT&T has agreed to expand broadband service to rural areas. It will also guarantee sustained broadband speeds and adhere to so-called net neutrality rules.
Should regulators give the merger the green light, company officials expect the deal can close within a year.
Shares of DirectTV have surged 12 percent in recent weeks as rumors of the deal began to circulate.


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Systemax is reportedly opening a back-office services facility in Budapest, with 200 staff expected to be based there by the end of 2013.
According to local news reports, the location is due to open in the coming months and will provide Systemax's operations across the EMEA region with back-office and marketing services. Hungarian news stories report that Systemax – which owns UK channel heavyweight Misco – considered opening a centre in a number of eastern European locations before settling on the Hungarian capital (pictured).
UK channel sources report that long-time UK general manager of Misco Sandy Price will be moving east to oversee the running of the new facility.
It was revealed in November, as Systemax published a tepid set of Q3 results, that the firm would be opening an eastern European services centre as part of a cost-cutting restructure. One-off costs, including redundancy payoffs, are expected to cost the company about $15m across Q4 and Q1.
Systemax was unavailable for comment as ChannelWeb went to press.
For the 2011 calendar year, Misco UK Ltd banked operating profit of £12.6m on sales of £275.7m. The Systemax group as a whole posted global sales of almost $3.7bn last year.
Samanage will use recent $30m investment to grow global operations and its channel
Automation firms UiPath and Automation Anywhere close out their funding rounds with $265m and $300m respectively
View photos of last night's awards ceremony in London
View photos of all the winners from the 2018 Channel Awards


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Tesco rolls We7 brand into Blinkbox
Tesco has dropped the digital music service We7's brand name, rolling it into its non-subscription digital film and TV service, Blinkbox.
Blinkbox: launch campaign by Karmarama
The supermarket bought a 91% stake in the digital music service, which competes with Spotify, for £10.8m in June, as part of its strategy to expand its digital entertainment strategy.
It is also bringing its digital book service, Mobcast under the Blinkbox name to create a unified digital entertainment brand. Tesco is dropping the We7 brand name immediately.
The supermarket chain is putting greater marketing muscle behind Blinkbox, rolling out its first ad campaign for the service – in which it owns an 80% stake – earlier this month.
It is aiming to take on the pure-play digital entertainment services by tying the service into its multichannel offering. Rival supermarket Sainsbury’s recently entered the digital film market, through a partnership with Rovi.
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 26, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include The Walt Disney Company DIS, Netflix, Inc. NFLX, Comcast Corporation CMCSA, Apple, Inc. AAPL and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN.
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
Streaming Services Keep Gaining Traction: 4 Stocks to Watch
The coronavirus pandemic has given a major blow to U.S. media companies as theatre halls remain closed and shooting of big-ticket projects are stalled. However, the loss may not be that massive for those who are into video streaming service. According to a new survey by cloud video technology company Grabyo, Americans are spending an average of $1 billion a month more on video streaming.
In a way the pandemic has been working miracles for the streaming industry. Users have been increasing and companies have been garnering more revenues in the form of increased subscriptions. So it can be said with conviction that the video and music streaming industry has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemic Driving Video Streaming Market
Americans are spending an average of $1 billion a month more on video streaming since Grabyo polled U.S. consumers back in January. Amid the pandemic, video streaming services have reached 72% penetration into American homes, up 13% since January. Pay TV currently has 56% penetration. Of the total U.S. video customers, 65% aged between 50 and 64 and 50% above 65 are now paying for online streaming.
Moreover, 85% of streaming customers polled say that they are planning to keep the same number of subscription services even after the social distancing period ends.
Moreover, the streaming time per user is rising as they are at home most of the time now. According to new data from 7Park, beginning mid-March, when the pandemic struck, streaming video on demand usage in the United States skyrocketed to nearly 600 minutes monthly from less than 300 minutes in June 2019.
Streaming Services Poised to Grow
Almost all video streaming services companies have been witnessing a surge in new users and subscription. During its third-quarter 2020 earnings release earlier this month, The Walt Disney Company reported that it now has 100 million paid subscribers across its streaming services, which include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. The company also revealed that the streaming service has amassed 60.5 million paid subscribers worldwide.
Last month, Netflix, Inc. released its second-quarter subscriber figures, which exceeded its own projections. The streaming giant gained 10.1 million paying customers in the second quarter, beating its own estimate of 7.5 million.
Also, Comcast Corporation’s NBCUniversal launched it Peacock services last month, which gives the company the perfect opportunity to cash in on the coronavirus crisis by adding more subscribers. According to a recent report by Grand View Research, the global video streaming market size was valued at $42.6 billion in 2019 and will witness a CAGR of 20.4% between 2020 and 2027.
Stocks in Focus
Streaming services are among the rare few that are benefiting from the coronavirus pandemic, which has kept billions of people at home with nothing to do but stream. This thus makes an opportune time to invest in video and music streaming stocks.
Apple, Inc. launched its streaming services last year and has gained immense popularity since then. The company reportedly has more than 30 million TV subscribers. Recently, the company announced that it will also be offering a bundled service, which is likely to further boost its subscriber figures.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 8.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 4.9% over the past 30 days. Apple sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Netflix, Inc. is considered a pioneer in the streaming space. It has been spending aggressively on building its original show portfolio. The company added more than 10 million paid subscribers in the second quarter.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 52.1%. Its shares have gained 18.2% over the past three months. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Amazon.com, Inc. besides being an e-commerce giant, offers several other services. Amazon Prime, a membership program, provides access to streaming of movies and TV episodes among other services, and is one of the market leaders in the streaming space.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 36.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 58.33% over the past 30 days. Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #3.
Comcast Corporation’s Peacock video streaming service has already gained more than 10 million paid subscribers in less than a month after its launch. Peacock has three tiers of service: Free, Premium and Premium Plus. Peacock also offers a lineup of around 25 curated digital linear channels, featuring long-form and digital-originated programming content from NBCUniversal's broadcast and cable properties as well as third-party content providers.
The company’s expected earnings growth rate for next year is 22.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 2.1% over the past 60 days. It carries a Zacks Rank #3.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
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The German Chemistry Group BASF and the Chinese battery manufacturer Svolt have made an agreement in which both parties will work through their respective global activities in the development of cathode materials, raw materials supply and battery recycling for battery cells from Svolt. Cooperation should also improve the research and development capacities of both sustainable battery materials and strengthen the competitiveness of both parties on the largest battery market, China, as well as worldwide, so BASF in a recent communication.
In addition, cooperation should help to achieve China’s goal for reducing carbon emissions and to accelerate worldwide development towards carbon neutrality. Both companies also want to examine a joint upstream procurement in order to improve security of supply with sought-after raw materials.
“The strategic partnership with Svolt will further expand our strong position on the fast-growing market for battery materials,” says Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, head of the Catalysts division. As a global supplier of battery materials, he sees BASF as “ideally positioned to supply tailored, high-performance cathode materials for SVOLT’s cell technology.”
“The strategic collaboration with BASF is an important part of SVOLT’s global supply chain,” said Yang Hongxin, Chairman and CEO of SVOLT. The two companies’ strategic cooperation aims to “complement each other’s strengths along the battery supply chain, accelerate innovation capabilities in R&D for cathode materials, and continuously promote portfolio innovation and core competitiveness for electric car batteries.”.”
As one of the largest chemical suppliers to the automotive industry, BASF has a strong position in the cathode materials market, including a global presence in production, research and development and a broad portfolio of cathode materials with medium to high nickel content, as well as high-manganese and cobalt-free compounds. In Europe, BASF is launching the production of cathode materials with what it says is an industry-leading carbon footprint. Among other things, advanced process technology, a secure local raw material supply chain, a favorable energy mix for production and short and effective logistics along the supply chain should be responsible for this. BASF continuously works closely with partners to accelerate innovation and create a sustainable battery value chain worldwide. The collaboration with SVOLT is not the first of its kind for BASF. There is also a similar agreement with CATL, one of the world’s largest battery producers.
SVOLT is a global high-tech battery company. It has seven R&D centers in Wuxi, Baoding, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, as well as in Japan, Korea and India. And is building plants in Germany for the production of battery cells for electric cars, among other things. The company is also expanding the upstream and downstream value chains and striving to build a large enterprise in the global new energy industry.
Sources: BASF – press release of 25.10.2021
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As part of a strategic, international cooperation program of the Fraunhofer company, Empa in Dubendorf (Switzerland) and the Fraunhofer Institute for…
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Contemporary Amperex Technology ( CATL ) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that they will enter into a far-reaching cooperation to…
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WADA’s move shows trust in Russia’s anti-doping measures — ministerSport June 28, 1:02
US disciplinary procedure against jailed Russian businessman Bout delayed — attorneyWorld June 27, 23:16
FIFA report on Russia’s 2018 World Cup bidding proves legitimacy of its win — deputy PMSport June 27, 21:08
FIFA report on Russia’s 2018 bidding dismisses Western media allegations — LOC chiefSport June 27, 19:53
Encrypting ransomware Petya attacks computers worldwide — Kaspersky LabBusiness & Economy June 27, 19:23
Kremlin says its computers not affected by hacker attackRussian Politics & Diplomacy June 27, 18:55
Security experts urge Putin, Trump to overcome disagreementsWorld June 27, 18:51
Jury to deliver verdict on Nemtsov murder case on June 28Society & Culture June 27, 18:42
Syrian president visits Russia’s Khmeymim airbaseWorld June 27, 18:17
SAMARA, October 4 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s biggest car manufacturer, AvtoVAZ, sold a total of 443,917 Lada cars in the three quarters of 2011, or by 19.8 percent more than in the same period last year, AvtoVAZ press centre reported on Tuesday.
A total of 50,918 Lada cars were sold in September 2011 alone. The figure is by 0.3 percent bigger than in September 2010, the press centre noted.
The press centre cited the following sales statistics in the nine months of 2011 (on the same period last year): 109,785 Lada Kalina cars (up by 49.2 percent), 107,962 Lada Priora cars (up by 20 percent), 85,656 Lada Samara cars (up by 11.1 percent), 74,112 Lada 2105/2107 cars (down by 25.2 percent), and 44,705 Lada 4x4 cars (up by 47 percent).
The plant exported 5,059 Lada cars in September, and 37,723 – in the nine months of 2011.


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Pakistani smartphone manufacturer QMobile has launched a new entry-level contender in the market that addresses the needs of moderate and light users, QMobile LT360. The company has already been known for providing pocket-friendly phones with mid-range specs to meet the modern smartphone user needs.
QMobile LT360 comes with a FullVision display sized at 4.95-inches having. While some might see it as a drawback, many of us are still in love with phones having small screens so a screen this size is definitely a plus from my side.
As for the internals, QMobile LT360 comes with a 1GB RAM and an 8GB internal storage. Though it might be a pocket-friendly device, one can’t just ignore the fact that the company has stuffed the phone with outdated specs so you can’t much of the performance from the phone.
For the optics, the device carries a single camera setup on both the front and the back. On the front you get a 2MP camera while the back sports a single lens of 5MP. The back camera supports HDR and geotagging.
As the specification goes, the handset packs a 2500mAH battery and runs on Android Oreo Go Edition which means the OS will not pose any extra burden on the phone.


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Top Stocks Warren Buffett Is Buying Now
Warren Buffett is arguably the best investor in the world, and his penchant for picking winning stocks for long-haul portfolios makes it worth knowing what stocks he's buying for Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) portfolio.
Fortunately, big investors like Buffett file a 13F report with the Securities and Exchange Commission each quarter that shows what they've been up to. In the case of Berkshire Hathaway, the latest report shows he's been busy buying Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK), and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE: TEVA). Are these stocks right for your portfolio, too?
Going all in on Apple
Warren Buffett told Steve Jobs in 2012 that he should use Apple's growing cash stockpile to buy back Apple's stock. Buffett didn't take his own advice until 2016, but Apple's become Berkshire Hathaway's biggest holding since then.
Apple's shares have rallied significantly since Buffett first added them to Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio, yet his appetite to acquire more shares hasn't abated. Even as Apple's shares rallied higher over the past year, he added 31.2 million more shares to his position in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing his total holdings to more than 165.3 million shares, worth at least a staggering $28 billion as of this writing.
The decision to make Apple his biggest position suggests Buffett isn't very worried about short-term concerns over iPhone X unit volume. Instead, he appears solidly convinced that consumers will continue to upgrade their aging phones to Apple's latest devices -- and that their doing so will increase margin-friendly revenue across Apple's ecosystem.
If he's right (and I think he is), then there's reason to join him and buy Apple shares, too. Apple's long-term plan is to double services revenue between 2016 and 2020, and last quarter, record smartphone sales kept it on track to achieve its goal. Despite having one less week in that last quarter, the company's total revenue was $88.3 billion, up 13% year over year, and its services revenue was $8.5 billion, up 18% from one year ago.
Sales growth boosted quarterly earnings per share by 16% year over year to $3.89; cash flow from operations of $28.3 billion was more than enough to cover the $14.5 billion Apple returned to investors via dividends and stock buybacks.
There are now more than 1.3 billion active Apple devices, up 30% from two years ago. The company is launching new products like HomePod. And its financial position is set to dramatically improve in the wake of tax reform. Given all these facts, picking up Apple's shares while they're trading at less than 13 times forward earnings makes sense.
Branching out in banking
It's not news that Wells Fargo has long been a big Buffett holding, but that hasn't kept Buffett from adding other banks to Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.
Lately, his favorite to buy is The Bank of New York Mellon. This is a financial services company with a $59 billion market cap that makes money helping high-net-worth individuals manage their money. It offers investment management, trust and custody, fund administration, securities lending, global payments and cash management, banking, and clearing services to its clients. It also has a corporate banking business.
The stock market's rally has been very good news for The Bank of New York Mellon's fee revenue, as it leads to greater assets under management. Baby boomers' demand for legacy planning strategies provides tailwinds to its trust business. Thanks to global economic growth, corporate services demand is also increasing.
Those tailwinds are reflected in the bank's trailing-12-month return on equity, which has steadily increased over the past three years and is now 11.2%. In 2017, the bank earned $3.9 billion ($3.72 per share), up 18% from 2016; total revenue was $15.5 billion, up 2% from 2016.
With profits booming, it's easy to understand why Buffett increased his stake in the bank by 10.6 million shares. At 60.8 million shares, The Bank of New York Mellon is now Berkshire Hathaway's 10th-largest position, and it wouldn't surprise me if it becomes an even bigger position in the coming year.
Jumping into generics
The most surprising addition to Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio last quarter was Teva Pharmaceutical. Teva Pharmaceutical has been plagued by stiff generic-drug competition that's crimping pricing power. It's also been weighed down by the mountainous debt it incurred when it acquired Allergan's generic-drug business in 2016 for $33.43 billion in cash and about 100 million shares.
Additionally, Teva Pharmaceutical's competitor Mylan Labs won approval from the Food and Drug Administration last fall for a generic version of Teva Pharmaceutical's top-selling drug, Copaxone, and that generic is significantly cutting into Teva's sales. In the fourth quarter, declining sales of Copaxone caused Teva Pharmaceutical's revenue to tumble 16% and its non-GAAP EPS to slide 32.6% from Q4 of 2016.
Teva Pharmaceutical's challenges have caused its shares to fall dramatically from over $60 two years ago to about $20 today. Buffett's buying suggests that the drop is creating an opportunity to buy this stock on sale.
If Teva Pharmaceutical can execute on a major restructuring of its business, then he might be right. New management has a plan that could create $3 billion in savings by the end of 2019, half of which is expected to be realized this year.
Yet Teva Pharmaceutical's rebound is far from a certainty, and that makes it a risky stock for average investors to buy now. Management expects competitors to continue chipping away at Copaxone's more than $3 billion in sales this year. As a result, it only expects revenue of between $18.3 billion and $18.8 billion in 2018, down 17.2% from 2017 at the midpoint; it also expects its EPS will slump to between $2.25 and $2.50 -- a big decline from the $4.01 it delivered in 2017.
Overall, Teva Pharmaceutical has a lot of work ahead to return to its winning ways. Investors might be better off looking elsewhere.
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Todd Campbell owns shares of Apple and Mylan. His clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Mylan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat announced that a delegation involving the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation and the Jordanian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply is expected to visit Iraq to enhance trilateral cooperation in various fields, in pursuance of what has been agreed during a trilateral summit held in 2019.
El-Mashat's announcement came during a meeting held Saturday with Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tariq Hammouri, in the presence of Jordanian Ambassador to Egypt Ali Ayed, to discuss arrangements for the meetings of the preparatory ministerial committee of the Egyptian-Jordanian Supreme Committee, which is anticipated to be held during the first half of 2020.
The Egyptian-Jordanian Supreme Committee is a committee that supervises bilateral trade exchange between the two countries and the agreements that control it.
This is not the first time the two sides announce an anticipated visit to Iraq. In July 2019, the Egyptian-Jordanian Supreme Committee held its meetings on Cairo and chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and concluded by announcing a visit to Iraq to be arranged to boost trilateral trade ties between the three countries.
The Egyptian-Jordanian Supreme Committee is the first joint Arab committee of its kind, started in the mid-1980s.
The trade balance between Egypt and Jordan is estimated at $700 million over 1,945 companies working in the domestic market.


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ComplexCon returns to Long Beach Nov. 6 - 7 with hosts J. Balvin and Kristen Noel Crawley, performances by A$AP Rocky and Turnstile, and more shopping and drops.
Secure your spot while tickets last!
Today GM announced that it is recalling another 2.4 million vehicles, pushing the grand total of U.S. vehicles recalled in 2014 up past 13 million. What's so frightening about this number is that GM has only sold 12.18 million cars in the U.S. in the last five years.
GM is clearly going back through its all of its craptastic Saturn Ions and Chevy Cobalts and making sure there are no defects parts that do not perform to design or other potential Kevorkianesque, disemboweling features parts that do not perform to design that could result in the cars becoming rolling sarcophagi not performing to design.


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When the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open rolls into the picturesque setting of Portstewart Golf Club in early July there will be much more to the tournament than just the entertainment provided by the athletes on show.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation, brings with it the allure of success created by a business that has quickly elevated itself to one of the most successful in the world. From first-year sales of US$20 million upon its foundation in 1983, the company recorded a sales turnover of US$1.85 billion last year, making Dubai Duty Free the No.1 single airport retail operation in the world in terms of turnover. On average there are a massive 74,000 transactions are recorded per day, across Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International in Dubai South.
Dubai Duty Free employ over 6,000 people globally, and the operation has consistently raised the benchmark for airport retailing and it continues to grow. Dubai Duty Free currently occupies 34,000 square metres of retail space at Dubai International Airport, including the recently opened Concourse D. The new Concourse is a modern, state-of-the-art airside facility that can serve up to 100 international airlines and 18 million passengers annually and is reached via an elevated rail system. Concourse D takes Dubai Duty Free to an all new level, with a bright and spacious customer-friendly retail space centrally located close to a range of restaurants and the departure gates.
Whatever Dubai Duty Free does, there seems to be a large amount of success that comes with it. The two previous competitions Dubai Duty Free Irish Open tournaments have been held at Royal County Down and The K Club were a resounding successes, and the increase in the prize money has reflected that by rising from €2.5 million in 2015 to €4 million in 2016, while this year’s fund will reach US$7 million as the tournament becomes part of the Rolex Series. It has not just become one of the richest tournaments on the European Tour, but one of the most entertaining and well attended over the past two years. Over 100,000 fans flocked towards Royal County Down to witness Søren Kjeldsen win the 2015 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open following a dramatic three-way playoff, while Rory McIlroy – hosting the tournament through the Rory Foundation – was one of the famed competition’s most popular ever winners at The K Club last May.
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, has outlined what the tournament means to him and his business. “We are delighted to be continuing our title sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Portstewart Golf Club once again this year, and after two fantastic years we are certain that we will see another epic sporting encounter in north Antrim. Portstewart Golf Club is a wonderful links course that will really test the skill and mentality of the players, so with all things combined we are anticipating a brilliant event.”
The pulling power of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open has seen the attendance figures soar in recent years, with the four-day event in Kildare attracting more than 25,000 spectators on the final day in 2016, while it was a sell-out the previous year in Co. Down.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open was played live through television screens in 450 million homes all around the world last year as Rory McIlroy landed his first ever title on home soil. Tickets for the 18th grandstand at Portstewart have already sold out ahead of this year’s tournament, exemplifying the anticipation of what is to come in Antrim.
There will be a huge amount of business generated in the local area due to the lure of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and popular tourist destinations such as the Giant’s Causeway, the Bushmills Distillery and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge are all set to attract more visitors than normal during the four-day event.
It is not just golf that Dubai Duty Free takes a huge interest in, with their sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby among one of the premiere sporting events in Ireland each year. They are also major sponsors of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Emirates Airlines Dubai Rugby 7’s.
The sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby has been particularly successful however. Despite being one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious horse races, it was going through a difficult spell before Dubai Duty Free came on board. Offering a sizable purse of €1.5 million, it is now Ireland’s richest race, and will be held at the Curragh Racecourse on July 1st.
Since taking over the title sponsorship of this major European race, Dubai Duty Free has created a weekend festival of racing and social activities which include the Dubai Duty Free Golf Classic which is held at The K Club, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Summer Ball, also held at The K Club will all proceeds going to the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
Dubai Duty Free celebrated their 25th anniversary of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this year, with Great Britain’s Andy Murray beating Fernando Verdasco in the final on March 4th, while Elina Svitolina claimed the womens’ title six weeks earlier. The tournament is now a key component in the ATP and WTA tours, with $2.6 million dollars in prize money available to the male and female competitors.
Dubai Duty Free invests heavily in the events they sponsor, pushing 2.5% of their total turnover on marketing each year, most of which is dedicated to sport. They pump $65 million worth of sponsorship into the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, contributing massively to the total television and print media value of $153 million. The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships are worth more than $830 million, with Dubai Duty Free putting $271 million towards that.
Dubai Duty Free stretches its arm further than sport and turnover however, and the Dubai Duty Free Foundation is a vital part of the company’s ethos as they give back to worthy causes. It has a strong and focused Corporate and Social Responsibility programme and is actively involved in projects all over the world, many of which have a sports theme or aim to support children and the vulnerable.
The US$1.5 million Dubai Duty Free Sports Complex was constructed at Lycée Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable in Haiti as they helped to rebuild the country following the earthquake in 2010, while the company has also assisted in restoring eyesight to more than 800,000 people in India and helped funding the rebuilding of an entire village of houses destroyed by a typhoon that struck the Leyte province in the Philippines following a typhoon in 2013.
To date, Dubai Duty Free has received more than 550 industry awards and in 2016 alone, the operation was presented with 28 awards including the DFNI Global Awards for Travel Retail Excellence for “Global Travel Retailer of the Year” and “Airport Travel Retailer of the Year” among others. A long-time supporter of major sporting events that help to promote Dubai as a leading destination, Dubai Duty Free is proud to be the title sponsor of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.


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How Hellobike is beating Mobike and Ofo in China’s smaller cities
About 72 per cent of bike-sharing users in China can be found in the country’s second- and lower-tier cities
The bike-sharing war in China is not ending any time soon. The country’s bike-sharing market is forecast to add another 167 million users between 2017 and 2019 to reach 376 million customers, with most of that growth happening outside the top-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
While domestic market leaders Mobike and Ofo are making a push into smaller cities, the country’s third-largest bike-sharing service provider, Hellobike, already has a head start.
Launched in late 2016, about two years after Beijing-based rivals Mobike and Ofo started operations, Hellobike was the first bike-sharing operator to build up its business in China’s smaller cities. The start-up has also deployed its bikes in tier-1 cities, but these locations are not its priority.
“At least 100 small cities have yet to see dockless bikes enter [into service],” Hellobike chief operating officer Han Mei told Tech in Asia at the TechCrunch Hangzhou event earlier this month. “These are the markets that we want to crack next.”
Headquartered in Shanghai, Hellobike currently operates in 220 cities across China. Mobike, by comparison, is present in 176 cities, 11 of which are overseas. Ofo has operations in 250 cities around the world.
The number of users with Mobike and Ofo still outnumber those of Hellobike by huge margins as of May, thanks to those two companies’ continued dominance in large population centres. That is not the case, however, in China’s less crowded, less prosperous areas. Hellobike has racked up about half of the users in the second- and third-tier cities, according to data-monitoring firm Trustdata.
About 72 per cent of China’s bike-sharing users are from China’s second- and lower-tier cities, while those in the first-tier cities account for 28 per cent of that market, Trustdata said. The low-tier cities, which are typically behind the major cities in adopting new trends, are expected to see more dockless bikes in service.
Han said Hellobike honed its operations the past two years by focusing on the country’s less developed areas. “They have very different transit conditions from the megacities,” she said.
More effort, for example, is needed to rebalance the fleet of bikes deployed and the number of maintenance crew in the low-population areas because users tend to be more spread out. In a tier-1 city, bikes are often the last-mile solution between transit stations and destinations. But in a smaller city, a bike ride can easily cover the whole journey.
Although Hellobike’s rivals “have a first-mover market advantage, China is an enormous country”, Jixun Foo, a managing partner at GGV Capital, said in a statement. The US-based venture capital firm was one of Hellobike’s early investors.
“[Hellobike’s] competitors did go after some of the second-tier cities, but there were many cities that they didn’t cover,” Foo said.
The expansion strategy of Hellobike has resonated with other bike-sharing providers amid fierce competition in the major cities.
Many of these competitors sharpened their focus last year on China’s low-tier cities, as business in major cities reached a saturation point, according to a report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a scientific research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The penetration rates of bike-sharing apps last year across China climbed to 10 per cent and six per cent, respectively, in second-tier and third-tier cities, compared with an average of below two per cent the previous year, according to Shenzhen-based data services provider Jiguang.
Hellobike, whose second-largest shareholder Youon sells bikes to local governments, has forged close ties with local authorities, as the bike-sharing sector has come under greater regulatory scrutiny in China.
Many local government officials want bike-sharing providers to help in their low-carbon transition programmes. As a result, Hellobike had been invited to launch its service in places such as Dongying, Zhenjiang, and Binzhou – all prefecture-level cities, each with a population of under five million. Beijing, in contrast, had a total population of 21.7 million last year.
Hellobike was mostly seen as an underdog in the bike-sharing market until its tie-up with Ant Financial Services, operator of online payments platform Alipay. The financial technology behemoth, in which e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has a 33 per cent stake, made its first investment in Hellobike last December. New York-listed Alibaba, the parent company of the South China Morning Post, is an investor in Ofo.
Ant became Hellobike’s largest shareholder in May after bankrolling the start-up with a US$321 million funding.
Following that transaction, Hellobike’s value has reached about US$2.3 billion, according to company COO Han. Ofo was reportedly valued at US$3 billion last December, while Mobike was acquired by Tencent Holdings-backed on-demand local services provider Meituan-Dianping in a deal worth US$3.4 billion in April.
Ant’s help went beyond writing cheques. Last April, Hellobike’s service became available through Ant’s Alipay e-wallet, so users no longer had to download the start-up’s stand-alone app. Hellobike has not disclosed exactly how much traction Alipay has generated, but Han said Ant was “very valuable” to its “online user acquisition”.
“Alipay has an enormous user base and society-wide influence,” she said. “For a new user, using Alipay [to access Hellobike] is more convenient. So when we enter a new city, we usually promote [the use of] Alipay first.”
Alipay’s 650 million users, however, are not exclusive to Hellobike. Ofo and four other bike-sharing service providers are also accessible through Alipay. Mobike is available on Tencent’s massively popular messaging and social media app WeChat, which has its own payments platform called WeChat Pay.
Speculations about Hellobike’s potential merger with Ofo have been circulating as the two increasingly find themselves vying for the same piece of small-city pie. Han said Helllobike “has paid little attention to the rumour”.
“If your team and business are good enough, you have a bigger say in deciding these [matters],” she said.
In March, Hellobike took another aggressive step in its expansion efforts. The bike-sharing firm did away with deposits for all its users who scored above 650 in Ant’s Sesame Credit system. Ant’s financial support ensures that Hellobike will not be cash-strapped without customer deposits.
The company’s bet has paid off. Within two months, Hellobike’s registered users jumped 70 per cent to gain a 25.7 per cent share of new users in the country’s bike-sharing market between January and May this year. Ofo and Mobike were still ahead with shares of 39.5 per cent and 28.8 per cent, respectively.
For Ant, Hellobike’s move fits nicely with its broader push for a “deposit-free sharing economy” by deploying its Sesame Credit among consumers. In November last year, Ant announced a US$152 million fund to help companies waive customer deposits. Local regulators have also been calling a halt to deposits amid widespread misuse of customers’ money.
Hellobike’s deposit-free scheme is hardly unique. To win new users, Mobike cancelled its US$45 deposit for all customers in China this month – with no conditions attached.
In contrast, Ofo rescinded a deposit-free programme in 20 cities last May, but told media outlet Caixin that “it doesn’t currently plan to do away with the 199 yuan [US$30] deposit”.
Ofo’s decision resulted in speculation about a cash crunch at the company. Mobike and Hellobike are under the same pressure. Similar to the bike-sharing subsidy frenzy, deposit-free programmes are capital-intensive. Mobike has yet to turn a profit, according to Meituan-Dianping’s initial public offering prospectus.
Hellobike has not revealed how close it is to profitability, but Han suggested that location-based advertising represents a “very good revenue source”.
“For instance, if you’re 500 metres away from a bank, the nearby businesses will push coupons to you [through Hellobike’s app],” she said. “A lot of companies are willing to pay for this service because the targeting is very precise. The potential audience size is big and acquisition costs are low.”
Despite Hellobike’s head start in China’s smaller population centres, Mobike and Ofo still “have the chance” to topple their rival as these two firms ramp up their expansion in tier-3 and tier-4 cities, according to Yu Xue, research manager at IDC China.
The two bike-sharing front runners have started advertising aggressively to potential users through their apps and on bike frames – efforts that could bring in more revenue and counter Hellobike’s presence in the smaller cities, Yu said.
Like Mobike and Ofo, Hellobike is also planning to deploy electric bikes to diversify its income source, boost its commute options for users and mount a new challenge to China’s ride-hailing market leader, Didi Chuxing. Electric two-wheelers will “indirectly replace the need of [hailing rides from] Didi” in journeys between five and 10 kilometres, GGV’s Foo said.
“Didi will also have to figure out how to deal with [the emergence of electric bikes],” he said.


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MG has pulled the plug on its Longbridge assembly operation.
Production of the MG3 and GS suv will end and 25 line workers will be made redundant as the only other jobs in the West Midlands centre are 400 technical, reasearch and development, which will continue.
Longbridge opened over 100 years ago and in its heyday covered 400 acres straddling two counties but it saw manufacturing suspended in 2005 and MG was restarted in 2011 with final assembly of models imported from China and made UK legal.
It was said at the time of the reintroduction that Longbridge would give MG a doorway into Europe and favourable import terms but the decision to leave the EU has meant this advantage is lost.
Now any UK models will be directly shipped from China and no finishing will be done in the UK.
It is too early to say if this decision will impact on the re-emergence of MG brand among loyal British owners who have boosted business over the last few years with a small network of mostly family owned dealerships, who will be seeking reassurance of continuing and uninterrupted supplies of orders.


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Spring/Summer 2011 show during Milan Fashion Week on 27 September 2010 Megan Fox looked on the mark in Armani business formals at Giorgio Armani According to Sawf News.
Transformer Star Megan Fox gets the support of her husband Brian Austin Green at the Emporio Armani Womenswear Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show during Italy’s Milan Fashion Week on Saturday (September 25) 2010.
In the first images from “Passion Play” film the 24-year-old starlet Megan Fox appears as Lily, aka Bird Woman, a smoking hot carnival worker who happens to have a pair of wings.
Transformers and Victoria’s Secret commercials director Michael Bay has placed a $50,000 bounty on information leading to the arrest of the Puppy-Throwing Girl.
Shia LaBeouf got up close and personal with a very leggy Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on the Chicago set of Transformers 3. According to Popsugar.com reports, He switched gears from shooting with his onscreen parents to his fictional love, who held a stuffed rabbit, though her hot blue sequined minidress deserves most of the attention. Shia LaBeouf […]


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Africa’s legacy broadband infrastructure offers the continent the opportunity to leapfrog technology. FARHAD KHAN of Yahsat believes there is an opportunity for the continent to broadly become an early and easy adopter of new technologies.
As Africa’s economies continue to grow, more of the continent’s residents have been provided with a higher standard of living and additionally possess increased disposable income. The direct correlation between investment in broadband connectivity and the growth in economic activity has been well established, with research from the GSM Association amongst others, suggesting that for every 10 per cent increase in broadband connectivity, the GDP of developing nations rises by 1.38 per cent. So, the impact of a 30 per cent rise in broadband connectivity across Africa in the coming decade would have a major positive economic benefit.
Africa’s relatively porous, legacy broadband infrastructure offers the continent the opportunity to leapfrog technology and roll out cutting edge, contemporary networks; given there are relatively few issues regarding network integration and regulatory red tape. Therefore, there is a real opportunity for the continent to broadly become an early – and easy – adopter of new technologies.
The broadband revolution is already well underway across Africa, and there is no shortage of focus on providing the continent with affordable, reliable and stable broadband connectivity. Take for example the vision of Internet.org and the innovative ideas to provide connectivity and access. Some of these innovations include:
- Facebook’s plans for Wi-Fi delivered by drones
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX adopting reusable launchers to reduce the capital cost of providing broadband via satellite
- The potential of Li-Fi to deliver high capacity, low power connectivity
One of the exciting perspectives to the broadband story for Africa is that real gains can be made now, today. Yahsat is in the unique position to be able to deliver stable, high powered, affordable broadband connectivity to our footprint immediately. We are in a unique and advantageous position to deploy our fleet of Ka-band satellites, utilising our capacity and spot beams to optimise the broadband pipe, to where it is needed most – efficiently and reliably. Next year our coverage area will widen even further with the launch of our third satellite, giving Yahsat the potential to reach 60 per cent of Africa’s population across 28 countries.
The advantages of satellite communications services are numerous and significant – offering stable, affordable broadband connectivity that, in turn, has the ability to change the fortunes of a nation – and its people, for the better. The provision of improved education, better healthcare, stronger, sustainable economic growth, and social development are all potential benefits that can be reaped by investing in the appropriate broadband technology.
We are already seeing first-hand the benefits that satellite technology is bringing to communities and individuals in Africa. Take the example of Eastern Cape in South Africa, a region that covers 65,000 square miles. Outside of the major cities, the province is diverse in terms of landscape, and home to many rural communities. These remote communities rely on local resources to stay informed and educated, with community libraries playing a key role. Traditionally these libraries have been underserved in terms of connectivity, meaning library-to-library communications and public internet access have been unreliable. With our satellite broadband service, YahClick, and service partner Vox Telecom, we joined forces with The National Library to provide satellite broadband internet services to 207 public libraries in the Eastern Cape, covering a population of over 6 million. Communities across the Eastern Cape now have easier access to information and knowledge, enhancing the lives of millions of people.
When it comes to public services, they are easily accessible in urban areas; however, their availability across remote communities remains rather low. Home to one of the world’s largest national pension funds, South Africa has over 1.2 million people needing access to funds to be able to subsist during their retirement. Surprisingly, an estimated 10% of its eligible citizens are unaware of or unable to access these funds. Hence, there was a need to provide always-on broadband connectivity to allow real-time access to people’s pension. Again, with Vox Telecom, we worked with the South Africa Government Employees Pensions Fund to provide a solution through our YahClick Go service. Government pensions fund field service employees were able to mobilise their services in vans, with real-time access to the government pension system. Unhindered by the likes of mountains and inclement weather, they enabled access in the remotest areas, and today, all 1.2 million members of the GEPF and their beneficiaries can now gain access to valuable financial services thanks to satellite broadband connectivity.
The applications are endless for schools, medical centres, commerce/banking, as well as for connecting under serviced, off-network areas such as rural communities. Last September, under the auspices of the United Nations, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years, and we believe broadband connectivity plays an instrumental role in the achievement of these ambitions, to the benefit of all, including the People of Africa.
* Farhad Khan, Chief Commercial Officer, Yahsat
Online retail gets real
After decades of experience in selling online, retailers still seek out the secret of reaching the digital consumer, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
It’s been 23 years since the first pizza and the first bunch of flowers was sold online. One would think, after all this time, that retailers would know exactly what works, and exactly how the digital consumer thinks.
Yet, in shopping-mad South Africa, only 4% of adults regularly shop online. One could blame high data costs, low levels of tech-savviness, or lack of trust. However, that doesn’t explain why a population where more than a quarter of people have a debit or credit card and almost 40% of people use the Internet is staying away.
The new Online Retail in South Africa 2019 study, conducted by World Wide Worx with the support of Visa and Platinum Seed, reveals that growth is in fact healthy, but is still coming off a low base. This year, the total sale of retail products online is expected to pass the R14-billion mark, making up 1.4% of total retail.
This figure represents 25% growth over 2017, and comes after the same rate of growth was seen in 2017. At this rate, it is clear that online retail is going mainstream, driven by aggressive marketing, and new shopping channels like mobile shopping.
But it is equally clear that not all retailers are getting it right. According to the study, the unwillingness of business to reinvest revenue in developing their online presence is one of the main barriers to long-term success. Only one in five companies surveyed invested more than 20% of their online turnover back into their online store. Over half invested less than 10% back.
On the surface, the industry looks healthy, as a surprisingly high 71% of online retailers surveyed say they are profitable. But this brings to mind the early days of Amazon.com, in 1996, when founder Jeff Bezos was asked when it would become profitable.
He declared that it would not be profitable for at least another five years. And if it did, he said, it would be in big trouble. He meant that it was so important for long-term sustainability that Amazon reinvest all its revenues in customer systems, that it could not afford to look for short-term profits.
According to the South African study, the single most critical factor in the success of online retail activities is customer service. A vast majority, 98% of respondents, regarded it as important. This positions customer service as the very heart of online retail. For Amazon, investment back into systems that would streamline customer service became the key to the world’s digital wallets.
In South Africa online still make up a small proportion of overall retail, but for the first time we see the promise of a broader range of businesses in terms of category, size, turnover and employee numbers. This is a sign that our local market is beginning to mature.
Clothing and apparel is the fastest growing sector, but is also the sector with the highest turnover of businesses. It illustrates the dangers of a low barrier to entry: the survival rate of online stores in this sector is probably directly opposite to the ease of setting up an online apparel store.
A fast-growing category that was fairly low on the agenda in the past, alcohol, tobacco and vaping, has benefited from the increased online supply of vapes, juices and accessories. It also suggests that smoking bans, and the change in the legal status of marijuana during the survey, may have boosted demand.
In the coming weeks, we can expect online retail to fall under the spotlight as never before. Black Friday, a shopping tradition imported “wholesale” from the United States, is expected to become the biggest online shopping day of the year in South Africa, as it is in the USA.
Initially, it was just a gimmick in South Africa, attempting to cash in on what was a purely American tradition of insane sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, which occurs on the third Thursday of November every year. It is followed by Cyber Monday, making the entire weekend one of major promotions and great bargains.
It has grown every year in South Africa since its first introduction about six years ago, and last year it broke into the mainstream, with numerous high profile retailers embracing it, and many consumers experiencing it for the first time.
It is now positioned as the prime bargain day of the year for consumers, and many wait in anticipation for it, as they do in the USA. Along with Cyber Monday, it provides an excuse for retailers to go all out in their marketing, and for consumers to storm the display shelves or web pages. South African shoppers, clearly, are easily enticed by bargains.
Word of mouth around Black Friday has also grown massively in the past two years, driven by both media and shoppers who have found ridiculous bargains. As news spreads that the most ridiculous of the bargains are to be had online, even those who were reticent of digital shopping will be tempted to convert.
The Online Retail in SA 2019 report has shown over the years that, as people become more experienced in using the Internet, their propensity to shop online increases. This is part of the World Wide Worx model known as the Digital Participation Curve. The key missing factor in the Curve is that most retailers do not know how to convert that propensity into actual online shopping behaviour. Black Friday will be one of the keys to conversion.
Carry on reading to find out about the online retailers of the year.
Reliable satellite Internet?
MzansiSat, a satellite-Internet business, aims to beam Internet connections to places in South Africa which don’t have access to cabled and mobile network infrastructure, writes BRYAN TURNER.
Stellenbosch-based MzansiSat promises to provide cheap wholesale Internet to Internet Service Providers for as little as R25 per Gigabyte. Providers who offer more expensive Internet services could benefit greatly from partnering with MzansiSat, says the company.
“Using MzansiSat, we hope that we can carry over cost-savings benefits to the consumer,” says Victor Stephanopoli, MzansiSat chief operating officer.
The company, which has been spun off from StellSat, has been looking to increase its investor portfolio while it waits for spectrum approval. The additional investment will allow MzansiSat’s satellite to operate in more regions across Africa.
The MzansiSat satellite is being built by Thales Alenia Space, a French company which is also acting as technical partner to MzansiSat. In addition to building the satellite, Thales Alenia Space will also be assisting MzansiSat in coordinating the launch. The company intends to launch the satellite into the 56°E orbital slot in a geostationary orbit, which enables communication almost anywhere in Africa. The launch is expected to happen in 2022.
The satellite will have 76 transponders, 48 of which will be Ku-band and 28 C-band. Ku-band is all about high-speed performance, while C-band deals with weather-resistance. The design intention is for customers of MzansiSat to choose between very cheap, reliable data and very fast, power-efficient data.
C-band is an older technology, which makes bandwidth cheaper and almost never affected by rain but requires bigger dishes and slower bandwidth compared to Ku-band connections. On the other hand, Ku-band is faster, experiences less microwave interference, and requires less power to run – but is less reliable with bad weather conditions.
MzansiSat’s potential military applications are significant, due to the nature of the military being mobile and possibly in remote areas without connectivity. Connectivity everywhere would be potentially be life-saving.
Consumers in remote areas will benefit, even though satellite is higher in latency than fibre and LTE connections. While this level of latency is high (a fifth of a second in theory), satellite connections are still adequate for browsing the Internet and watching online content.
The Internet of Things (IoT) may see the benefits of satellite Internet before consumers do. The applications of IoT in agriculture are vast, from hydration sensors to soil nutrient testers, and can be realised with an Internet connection which is available in a remote area.
Stephanopoli says that e-learning in remote areas can also benefit from MzansiSat’s presence, as many school resources are becoming readily available online.
“Through our network, the learning experience can be beamed into classrooms across the country to substitute or complement local resources within the South African schooling system.”